Family Portrait
by blangyouredead
Summary: Blake hasn't seen her parents in quite a while... Nearly a year. Would they be proud of the person she's become? (Based on the idea that her parents are workers in the schnee dust mines)


AN: This is based off an idea I saw on tumblr that Blake's parents are faunus working under the schnee dust company

Blake stepped off of the airship and pulled her jacket tighter around her, trying to pull in warmth from every inch of the fabric she could. She hated being cold, and she hated being _in _the cold, but if this is what she had to do every time she had to see her parents, she'll do it a hundred times more.

Snow and ice crunched under her boots She was thankful she got winter gear while she was in Vale; there was no way she was wearing her hunting gear in this godforsaken weather. She wore that for mobility, not warmth, but even now, it seemed that she wasn't fully prepared for what this area had in store. It's been so long since she'd last been here to see them, just how cold it gets sometimes slipped her mind.

Her chest grew a sudden pain, and she locked her jaw in place to keep it from spreading. She shouldn't have taken so long to come see them… How long was it since then? Almost over a year? Tears stung Blake's eyes, imagining what that must have been like for them, not seeing their only child for so long… And they even crossed her mind on several occasions, she just… never had the chance to go and see them.

Blake let out a sharp breath, watching the steam twist and turn into nothingness. A poor excuse for a poor excuse of a daughter. She wished she could be better, but she just didn't know how. They didn't want her to grow up into their lifestyle, they wanted her to grow up and break away from it all and make a difference for everyone, even if it was small. The pain twisted further. All she did was get herself into trouble and become a criminal in hiding. A very poor excuse of a daughter indeed.

Blake looked up from the path she was on, walking off of the docks with a small bag in hand of some belongings and pictures she was eager to show. She saw a small town, the same one that's always been here when she came to visit. Snow covered every rooftop, and icicles hung from the edges. It was a very pretty sight if it wasn't for what the fact that this wasn't the part of town Blake was here for.

Here, they were decent sized houses, for those with local jobs. The middle class. The upper class were a little farther down and it was obvious which were the homes that belonged to the families that ran this town. The biggest, and the most prominent was settled next to a large factory with a symbol that Blake wasn't sure if it was the sign of a teammate or a longstanding enemy.

_Schnee._

Her parents have been working the mines for as long as she could remember under that name. After seventeen long years of knowing that name as the enemy, even now she has trouble saying the name without a slight sneer. It was part of the reason she tried to not say Weiss's last name as much as possible. She didn't want to associate her with the name that's been drilled into Blake's head for years.

She wandered through the town, taking a path that she found had been the quickest route to get to the broken down, shoddy, two bedroom house that her parents called home. It broke Blake's heart to know that this is where they've decided to call it. She wanted so desperately to bring them back to Vale with her, start something there for them, but she knew there was little to no chance for that. They had no combat experience and finding work in a town as racist as Vale would be near impossible. Hell, Blake was lucky enough to get into Beacon without anyone ever finding out.

Then she saw it, the small house her only living family resided in. The lights were on, which meant they were up and out of work, so Blake arrived at a good time. She found herself stuck in her current position, unable to will her feet forward. Her hand tightened around the bags strap as a wave of anxiety washed over her. Would they be upset with her? Would they even want to see her? She didn't exactly give them a message she was coming, though in hindsight she realized it probably would have been better if she had. She just wanted to surprise them, and see how happy they were to see her. But what if they weren't?

She let out a long, shuddering breath. She forced herself to take a step forward. She came this far; it'd be stupid to just turn back now, especially with everything she wanted to show them. She felt like she was pushing against a brick wall, but she kept going. One step after another, she finally found herself at the doorsteps. She reached up and rapped on the door with a knuckle. She swallowed hard and brought her hand down to her side, waiting for someone to open the door.

It swung open, and the air that hung between her and the woman who opened the door was stalled. The woman's eyes grew wide, taking in a long breath. Blake gave her a tight lipped smile, trying to not let building tears fall as they stood in silence for a moment, but it was interrupted when Blake felt eager arms wrap around her. Now, Blake wasn't one for physical affection, but she knew she could make an exception for her mother.

Blake buried her face into the crook of her mothers neck, burrowing past the same dark hair that hung from Blake's head. The scent she breathed in had a slight earthy smell to it, like rock and coal almost from being in the mines, but her scent was still there. It still made her feel safe, and warm, and the snow outside might as well not have existed. She didn't want to let go of her, hearing the soft cries that came from her mother. Blake was pulled in closer as her mother apparently felt the same.

"I've missed you so much…" Her mother murmured, pulling back and pressing her forehead against Blake's.

"I'm so sorry I haven't come sooner… I just… I never had the chance and I—"

"Shh, it's okay. You're here now. That's all that matters…" She peppered small kisses across Blake's face. A slight rumble started in Blake's chest at all the affection, and shortly after, one coming from her mother matched her own.

Blake felt tears start to form at the corner of her eyes watching her mother cry, which she wiped away with the heel of her palm. She smiled sheepishly as her mother kissed her forehead and ushered her inside, realizing that she was so excited to see her, they were both outside.

"Your father is taking a shower right now, we both just got off of work a couple hours ago. Oh, he'll be so excited to see you!" The older cat couldn't seem to let her kitten go, but she somehow managed, going off to take Blake's jacket and bag.

"I… I don't even know where to start…" Blake began. "I probably should have called…"

Her mother shook her head. "Hun, it wouldn't have mattered either way, truthfully, but like I said, it doesn't matter, you're here and-and I can see you. That's all I care about." Her mother replied.

Blake nodded a little bit, suddenly realizing she was still wearing her ribbon. She reached up and untied it, flicking and stretching sore muscles before letting them settle. The pair that rest upon her mothers head flattened only slightly. She knew about Blake binding them for some time now, and even though she didn't encourage it, she knew it was what made Blake feel safe.

"Do they hurt?"

"A little. I'm used to it, it's really no big deal. I'm just so happy to see you again," she smiled.

Her mother nodded, the wide grin on her face refusing to go away. "So, what's been going on with you? You've grown so much since we were last able to see you, I can't imagine all the things you've done."

Blake swallowed hard, thinking about what to say. They never found out about Blake having part in the White Fang. She only explained it as a small group of friends she'd been living with that help each other out. They never had a chance to leave to actually go find these so called friends, so they just had to trust Blake in the fact that she was telling the truth.

"I, um, I left that group of friends a few months ago. I… applied at a combat academy and I got in. Beacon Academy. It's one of the best schools around and will get me what I want out of it."

"A combat academy? For Hunters and Huntresses?" Her mother asked.

Blake nodded, forgetting that they didn't know about her sudden change in career path. "I want to fight and help people and make a difference. I couldn't do that with my old friends, and I think they understood for the most part. And my friends now, they all have similar goals and it's whats best for me."

Her mother looked concerned, but she wore a smile, one of her faunus ears flicking lazily. "I couldn't be more proud…" Her throat started to feel tight at the idea of someone hurting her baby girl, but she knew Blake was strong. She had to be to make it this long without them.

"So, tell me about the academy. Your friends. All of it, I want to know all of it." She moved in her seat, eager to hear her daughter talk. Just as Blake opened her mouth, another voice sounded behind her.

"Blake?"

Blake whipped around in her seat to face a man, standing much taller than she could ever hope to and a shower robe wrapped around him, with a shocked look that had struck across his face.

Blake pushed herself up from the chair and hurried over to her father, wrapping her arms around his neck while standing on her toes the best she could, He wore his look of surprise while he hugged her tight, almost in disbelief that she was there. He kissed the top of her head in between Blake's ears, hugging her tightly.

"We've missed you so much…" He spoke into her hair.

"I know… I've missed you, too…" Blake buried herself against him, taking in the warmth from the shower and scent. That earthy smell wasn't as strong as her mothers, so his scent smelled more refreshing than the stomach dropping scent that had clung to her mother. It pained her to know that this cold, sickening scent was likely going to stay with them for much longer than Blake would hope it would, but they were still her parents. Her only living family.

They stood there for the longest time, unsure of what to do or say except hug each other tighter and tighter. Then her mother spoke.

"Tell you father about the academy." She prompted.

"Academy?" Her father looked up to eye his wife, then back down to his daughter. "You're going to school?"

Blake nodded against him, not wanting to pull away just yet. "Beacon Academy. A hunting school. Teaches people how to fight the Grimm and protect people."

He let out a small laugh in delight. "That's incredible, I'm so proud!"

Blake smiled sheepishly, burrowing her face into the fabric of his robe, a steady purr resonating from her chest. She felt bad for not trusting her parents would be proud of her, no matter what she would have chosen to do. _Except the White Fang. They couldn't be proud of a murderer…_

She pushed the thoughts away and focused on now. She wasn't who she once was while in the White Fang. She was different. She was better.

"So, how long are you planning on staying? Are you on break or something?"

Blake nodded. "Winter break. It lasts a little more than a week, and I was… kinda hoping to stay that long. I haven't seen you guys in so long, I wanted—"

"That's fine, baby, you can stay as long as you need or want or whatever. We're just so glad to see you again." Her mother cut her off, brilliant green eyes closing, and shook her head. Blake inherited her fathers golden eyes, everything else came from her mother.

Blake nodded, smiling widely and holding out an arm to invite her mother into her and her father's hold. She quickly accepted it, and the tiny family was finally whole once more.

"I have pictures to show you guys…" Blake spoke up. "Pictures of my team and my other friends. And so many stories to tell you of things that happened. There's just so much that happened I don't know if I can fit it all in week."

"And we're excited to hear every bit we can while you're here." Her father spoke up. "We want to hear everything."

"But first, let's just relax." Her mother offered. "I still reek with those fumes in the mines and need a shower. We need to have dinner, and how about you start telling us everything tomorrow?"

Blake nodded. "I can wait."

First, she wanted to enjoy the company of her family.

"Merry Christmas." She smiled, taking in every bit of warmth she possibly could. Even though Blake tended to jump around from home to home, she knew one thing:

_You can sell your house, but a home is where people love you._

And Blake will never forget that.


End file.
